Cultivated tomatoes, lycopersicum esculentum, belong to the night shade family, Solanaceae and contain health promoting constituents such as the antioxidant lycopene, which is responsible for its red color. It is also believed that tomatoes possess potential benefit to prostate health.
Processed tomatoes rank very high in consumption among vegetables, partly because of tomatoes' unique flavor and color. In terms of per capita consumption, tomatoes are second only to potatoes. A number of tomato products, such as canned tomatoes, tomato juice and concentrates, tomato puree and paste, sauces, ketchup, soups and tomato powder are available. Generally, tomatoes are peeled and processed into these products. Typical peeling methods employed include: hot water peeling; steam peeling; lie peeling; freeze-thaw peeling; flame peeling; infrared peeling; and high temperature, high-pressure dry peeling.
Also on the market are dried tomatoes which can be used as food ingredients in several culinary applications, including salads, pastas, sauces and dips. Typically, dried tomato products are produced by the process of sun drying. Generally, in a sun drying operation, ripened tomatoes are washed, cut into halves, optionally passed through a water bath containing sulfur dioxide, and then sun dried in trays for about 7 to about 10 days. Sun dried tomatoes often contain sulfur dioxide to preserve color and shelf life. The moisture content of sun dried tomatoes typically ranges from about 12% to about 24%. Generally, about 20 pounds of vine ripened tomatoes will yield about 1 pound sun dried product, a yield of about 5%. In the United States, dried tomatoes are produced primarily in California. Dried tomatoes have also been imported to the United States from other countries including Chile, Italy, Mexico, Spain and Turkey.
A significant need exists in the food industry for a process for producing higher yielding dried tomatoes having better color and flavor, without the use of preservatives or sulfur dioxide.